1995–1996 school year
The 1995–1996 school year was Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school experienced many changes during this time, mainly due to the interference of the Ministry of Magic and the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge. This article lists the general events which have been witnessed by the majority of the students and teachers. It leaves out those events which are only known to Harry Potter and the people close to him. Staff The staff at Hogwarts during the 1995–1996 school year were as follows: Timetable Fifth year Gryffindor Notes *Monday: **History of Magic, double Potions, Divinations, double Defence Against the Dark Arts. - “Look at today!” groaned Ron. “History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defence Against the Dark Arts ... That’s the worst Monday I’ve ever seen.” **Breakfast, History of Magic followed by double Potions. - "But Professor Umbridge was not inspecting their History of Magic lesson, which was just as dull as the previous Monday, nor was she in Snape’s dungeon when they arrived for double Potions, where Harry’s moonstone essay was handed back to him with a large, spiky black D scrawled in an upper corner." **History of Magic is at least 45 minutes long (but maybe a double-period?) - "Today they suffered through three quarters of an hour’s droning on the subject of giant wars." **Double potions with Slytherin - "““The Draught of Peace,” said Harry tensely. “Tell me, Potter,” said Snape softly, “can you read?” Draco Malfoy laughed. **Double potions are hour and a half, followed by lunch - "“you have an hour and a half. ... When at long last the bell rang, Harry was first out of the dungeon and had already started his lunch by the time Ron and Hermione joined him in the Great Hall." **Divinations on Monday is immediately after lunch and a single period. - "The one good thing to be said for this lesson was that it was not a double period." **Hermione's Arithmancy class is at the same time. - "Harry and Ron told Hermione, who had been in Arithmancy, exactly what had happened in Divination while they all took out their copies of Defensive Magical Theory, but before Hermione could ask any questions Professor Umbridge had called them all to order and silence fell." *Lunch is an hour long. - "Harry spent the rest of the lunch hour sitting alone underneath the trapdoor at the top of North Tower, and consequently he was the first to ascend the silver ladder that led to Sibyll Trelawney’s classroom when the bell rang. - "Harry and Ron spent their lunch hour in the library looking up the uses of moonstones in potion-making." *In second term Hermione has Ancient Runes in the afternoon. - Harry's interview in the Quibbler comes out on a Monday morning, and "Harry heard them whispering about it as they queued up outside classes, discussing it over lunch and in the back of lessons, while Hermione even reported that every occupant of the cubicles in the girls’ toilets had been talking about it when she nipped in there before Ancient Runes. *Tuesday: **Double Charms followed by Double Transfiguration, implied to be 1 1/2 hours each. - "Double Charms was succeeded by double Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall both spent the first fifteen minutes of their lessons lecturing the class on the importance of O.W.L.s. ... They then spent more than an hour reviewing Summoning Charms, which according to Professor Flitwick were bound to come up in their O.W.L., and he rounded off the lesson by setting them their largest amount of Charms homework ever." **Lunch **Care of Magical in the afternoon, with Slytherin, after lunch. - "Now panicking slightly about the amount of homework they had to do, Harry and Ron spent their lunch hour in the library looking up the uses of moonstones in potion-making. ... By the time they reached Care of Magical Creatures in the afternoon, Harry’s head was aching again." - "Harry exchanged uneasy looks with Ron and Hermione. Malfoy was whispering with Crabbe and Goyle; he would surely love this opportunity to tell tales on Hagrid to a member of the Ministry." **Double Herbology after Care of Magical Creatures - "“To nobody’s surprise, Professor Sprout started their lesson by lecturing them about the importance of O.W.L.s. ... Tired and smelling strongly of dragon dung, Professor Sprout’s preferred brand of fertiliser, the Gryffindors trooped back up to the castle an hour and a half later, none of them talking very much; it had been an-other long day." **Short break before 5 o'clock, but dinner is available. - "As Harry was starving, and he had his first detention with Umbridge at five o’clock, he headed straight for dinner without dropping off his bag in Gryffindor Tower so that he could bolt something down before facing whatever she had in store for him." *Wednesday: **Divination in the morning. - "He skipped breakfast next morning to scribble down a couple of made-up dreams for Divination, their first lesson, and was surprised to find a dishevelled Ron keeping him company." **Afternoon: Transfiguration in the afternoon. - "everybody else was told to practise the spell overnight, ready for a fresh attempt on their snails the following afternoon." **Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy held before dinner. - "He had to give up his lunch hour to complete the picture of the bowtruckle, and meanwhile, Professors McGonagall, Grubbly-Plank, and Sinistra gave them yet more homework, which he had no prospect of finishing that evening because of his second detention with Umbridge. ... To cap it all, Angelina Johnson tracked him down at dinner again... **Double Herbology before lunch. - "Their robes billowed and swirled around them as they splashed across the flooded vegetable patch to double Herbology, where they could hardly hear what Professor Sprout was saying over the hammering of raindrops hard as hailstones on the greenhouse roof. The afternoon’s Care of Magical Creatures lesson was to be relocated from the storm-swept grounds to a free classroom on the ground floor and, to their intense relief, Angelina sought out her team at lunch to tell them that Quidditch practise was cancelled." **Care of magical Creatures in the afternoon. - "The afternoon’s Care of Magical Creatures lesson was to be relocated from the storm-swept grounds to a free classroom on the ground floor and, to their intense relief, Angelina sought out her team at lunch to tell them that Quidditch practise was cancelled. ... Same time, same place next week?” “Sooner!” said Dean Thomas eagerly and many people nodded in agreement. Angelina, however, said quickly, “The Quidditch season’s about to start, we need team practises too!” “Let’s say next Wednesday night, then” *Thursday: Potions (unknown period) - "“Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday.”" Fourth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws: *Herbology on Tuesday afternoon after lunch - "The door of the nearest greenhouse opened and some fourth years spilled out of it, including Ginny. “Hi,” she said brightly as she passed. A few seconds later, Luna Lovegood emerged, trailing behind the rest of the class, a smudge of earth on her nose and her hair tied in a knot on the top of her head." Seventh year Gryffindors: *Herbology Monday first period - "“Look what we’ve got today,” said Ron grumpily, shoving his schedule under Fred’s nose. “That’s the worst Monday I’ve ever seen.” ... C’mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Herbology." *Charms Monday, right before lunch - "But Professor Umbridge was not inspecting their History of Magic lesson, which was just as dull as the previous Monday, nor was she in Snape’s dungeon when they arrived for double Potions, where Harry’s moonstone essay was handed back to him with a large, spiky black D scrawled in an upper corner. ... “Just now, before lunch,” said George. “Charms.”" *Defence Against the Dark Arts is known not to be on Mondays.Fred and George mention, on the first day, that they had not yet had D.A.D.A. with Umbridge. Events Quidditch The 1995–1996 Quidditch season at Hogwarts was eventful. Team members and results were as follows: Gryffindor team During the 1995–1996 school year, Angelina Johnson was the Captain of the Gryffindor team. Due to Oliver Wood graduating since they last played in the 1993–1994 school year, selecting a new team player to fill his position as Keeper involved a tough try-out, with Ronald Weasley ultimately chosen as Oliver's replacement. Original team *Angelina Johnson: Captain and Chaser *Katie Bell: Chaser *Alicia Spinnet: Chaser *Ronald Weasley: Keeper *Harry Potter: Seeker *Fred Weasley: Beater *George Weasley: Beater Substitute team Shortly after one of Gryffindor's first Quidditch matches, Draco Malfoy insulted and provoked Fred, George, Ron and Harry. All except Ron promptly attacked him, had their broomsticks confiscated, and were banned from Quidditch for life by Professor Umbridge (although these bans were lifted after she was removed from Hogwarts). Their replacements were as follows: *Ginny Weasley: Seeker *Andrew Kirke: Beater *Jack Sloper: Beater Ravenclaw team The Ravenclaw team members were as follows: *Roger Davies: Captain and Chaser *Bradley: Chaser *Chambers: Chaser *Grant Page: Keeper *Cho Chang: Seeker *Duncan Inglebee: Beater *Jason Samuels: Beater Slytherin team The Slytherin team members were as follows: *Graham Montague: Captain and Chaser *Adrian Pucey: Chaser *Cassius Warrington: Chaser *Miles Bletchley: Keeper *Draco Malfoy: Seeker *Vincent Crabbe: Beater *Gregory Goyle: Beater Hufflepuff team The Hufflepuff team members were as follows: *Zacharias Smith: Captain and Chaser *Cadwallader: Chaser *Tamsin Applebee: Chaser *Herbert Fleet: Keeper *Summerby: Seeker *Maxine O'Flaherty: Beater *Anthony Rickett: Beater Standings and Quidditch Cup results * Slytherin lost to Gryffindor * Hufflepuff defeated Gryffindor 240-230 * Slytherin lost to Hufflepuff (narrowly) * Gryffindor defeated Ravenclaw * Outcomes of Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw & Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff are not mentioned in canon. However, due to Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup despite Hufflepuff having two wins, it is very probable that Ravenclaw defeated Hufflepuff.The Gryffindor team won the Quidditch Cup despite missing their original Beaters and Seeker. Dumbledore's Army In 1995, Harry, Ron and Hermione formed a secret "club" entitled Dumbledore's Army. Its purpose was to prepare students adequately for the outside world and to give them some practise of their spells for their O.W.L.s - something its members agreed the now Ministry-controlled Hogwarts was not doing and deliberately so. After successfully holding regular meetings between 5 October 1995 and 20 April 1996, the Army was forced to split up after Cho Chang's friend Marietta Edgecombe gave their location away to the Inquisitorial Squad. Weasley family crisis Shortly before the Christmas holidays, it became common knowledge around Gryffindor House (as well as around the school) that the Weasley family and Harry had to leave early due to some sort of family crisis although the exact details of this crisis are known by fewer.Many rumours circulate about Harry whereabouts throughout Hogwarts. Therefore it can be presumed that students at school noticed his absence. It is confirmed in that the boys in Harry and Ron's dormitory were aware of the crisis, as they were woken by Harry's nightmares. Hermione Granger would have been one of the few students aware that the crisis was due to Arthur Weasley's attack by Nagini. Students soon realised that the Weasleys returned once classes resumed for the new term. Professor Umbridge's influence As of Dolores Umbridge's appointment to the school, Hogwarts underwent many changes. With the Ministry of Magic on her side, Umbridge had a lot power and was highly influential at the school. ]] Defence Against the Dark Arts professor As Headmaster Albus Dumbledore could not find a suitable Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, one was appointed by the Ministry of Magic. This person was Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Under-Secretary to the Minister for Magic (who was Cornelius Fudge at the time). Theorised classes Professor Umbridge believed in solely theoretical approach to Defence Against the Dark Arts, which was also the Ministry's view at the time. She claimed that there never would be a situation where students would need to defend themselves from the Dark Arts and denied the return of Lord Voldemort. Her teaching method was also impractical because the O.W.L.s that students were studying for had a practical section in the Defence Against the Dark Arts exam. Punishment The following is a list of crimes and their "unusual" punishment, as handed out by Professor Umbridge. *Yelling in class – Harry Potter, Michael and Lee Jordan were punished by having to write with a special quill which used the blood on the back of their hands as ink. *Attacking others – George Weasley, Fred Weasley and Harry Potter were banned from Quidditch for life and had their brooms confiscated when they attacked Draco Malfoy after a match. Their bans were lifted right after Umbridge was removed from Hogwarts. Position as High Inquisitor ]] After working at Hogwarts for a short while and having a discussion with the Minister, Hogwarts was appointed Educational Decree Number 23, and Umbridge's power was increased as she was appointed the first-ever "Hogwarts High Inquisitor". She used this position to evaluate and harass the teachers at Hogwarts. When Harry formed a group to teach practical Defence Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge abolished all student groups of three or more members, meaning students weren't allowed to be seen together in a larger number of three or they'd be suspected of rule breaking. This also included Quidditch. Dolores Umbridge inspecting Severus Snape's Potions class]] When Harry gave an interview about Lord Voldemort to The Quibbler, Umbridge then banned possession of the magazine. Umbridge also went on to make ludicrous restrictions such as boys and girls not being allowed to stand within a certain limit of one another. These actions were sanctioned by the Ministry of Magic in the form of Educational Decrees, but students merely found ways to circumvent them. With her new power, she dismissed Sybill Trelawney as Professor of Divination, however when she attempted to send Trelawney away from the school, she was unable to because Albus Dumbledore still had the power to keep Trelawney on school grounds and chose to do so. Umbridge was horrified when Dumbledore replaced Trelawney with a centaur named Firenze, and considered him, a mixture of human and horse, a "filthy half-breed". Her strong opinion of centaurs would later get her into trouble. Teachers tested All teachers were "tested" by Professor Umbridge during her time as Hogwarts High Inquisitor. She asked them questions concerning their time teaching at Hogwarts and also to see if they were "competent" at their job. She enjoyed putting teachers on the spot, however some, such as Professor McGonagall, did the same to her in return. She was very prejudiced against some, particularly half-breeds, and judged them before even questioning them. Dismissals The following teachers were fired by Dolores Umbridge: *Sybill Trelawney *Albus Dumbledore (although he was officially dismissed by Cornelius Fudge, on Dolores Umbridge's recommendation). *Rubeus Hagrid More Educational Decrees Thanks to Dolores Umbridge, at least seven Educational Decrees were completed. However, in the movie, many more are passed. These banned things such as physical contact and student organisations. The Inquisitorial Squad with Argus Filch and Cho Chang]] The Hogwarts High Inquisitor created an Inquisitorial Squad which students were eligible to join. Upon becoming a member of the squad, students were able to gain extra credit and award and deduct house points from other students (a power that prefects did not have). House Cup It is unknown who won the House Cup during the 1995–1996 school year. Students Amorous relationships and Cho Chang on a date in Hogsmeade]] *Harry Potter and Cho Chang. *Ginny Weasley and Michael Corner. *Roger Davies and an unknown date at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Appearances * * * * * See also * *1995 *1996 *1991–1992 school year *1992–1993 school year *1993–1994 school year *1994–1995 school year *1996–1997 school year *1997–1998 school year Notes and references 96